Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Gary Levin, USA TODAY Ann Curry said a teary goodbye to her Today show colleagues and viewers Thursday as NBC prepared to announce her replacement, Savannah Guthrie, as early as Friday. Curry, 55, is exiting amid a ratings downturn at the still top-rated morning show and a perceived lack of chemistry with co-host Matt Lauer. Her abrupt departure comes little more than a year after Curry -- the show's former news reader -- took over for Meredith Vieira. "This is not as I expected, to ever leave this couch after 15 years, but I am also grateful," she said, choking up with emotion as she announced the news at 8:50 a.m., without the congratulatory tributes that accompanied Vieira's sendoff. "For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball to the finish line, but man, I did try." As she had told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview Wednesday, Curry said on air she has won ...

By Frank Macek The rumor mills are a buzzin' this evening as the New York Times is reporting that "Today" show co-host Ann Curry will likely announce her departure from the show on Thursday morning. Sources says NBC has been in talks with Curry about vacating her chair beside Matt Lauer who recently signed a new contract to continue with the show. Ratings are likely to blame as "Today" has seen the gap tighten between NBC's morning cash cow and ABC's "Good Morning America." However Nielsen ratings show ratings have improved for "Today" since the news first got out about NBC's intentions to dump Curry. NBC is said to have its eyes set on Savannah Guthrie, who is widely expected to replace Curry. Guthrie has been serving as co-host of the 9am hour of "Today" with Natalie Morales and Al Roker, as well as the show's Chief Legal Editor. Stay tuned on this one.

Russ Mitchell By Frank Macek Channel 3 Evening 6 & 11 PM Anchor and Manging Editor Russ Mitchell has been honored with two Salute to Excellence Awards that were awarded at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference last week in  New Orleans. Russ joined Channel 3 News earlier this year from CBS News where he worked for nearly 20 years, first as co-anchor of Up to the Minute, an original co-anchor on Saturday Early Show and most recently anchor of the CBS Sunday Night News and primary substitute for Scott Pelley. His two NABJ awards were earned last year at CBS. The first was in the "Television - General Assignment: Short Form" category for "Anniston Freedom Riders Anniversary", along with his CBS News colleagues Alturo Rhymes, Patricia Shevlin and Jared Kindestin. The second award was in the "Television - Feature: Long Form" category for "Harry Belafonte," a segment that aired on...

Ohio is a crucial state in the 2012 Presidential election and Channel 3 is the place to be for Northeast Ohio's best political coverage. Click to watch our on-air promo:

Betsy Kling Congratulations to WKYC Chief Meteorologist Betsy Kling for being named 2012 Hattie Larlham Circle of Caring Honoree. An Ohio native, born and raised in Copley, Betsy Kling has given much of her time and talent to Hattie Larlham. Since 2004, she has hosted the Have a Heart for Hattie Fashion Show and Luncheon and the Circle of Caring gala. Betsy has also twice hosted a televised auction benefiting Hattie Larlham. These commitments to Hattie Larlham and the children and adults with developmental disabilities it serves, earned Betsy the Media Award for Service in 2005. Betsy is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association and has earned the prestigious seal of approval from both organizations. Betsy Kling joined the WKYC news team in March 2003. To secure you, your company’s or your organization’s sponsorship of the 2012 Circle of Caring, please contact Hattie Larlham for the Circle of Caring sponsorship opportunities ...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog David Bauder, AP Television Writer Only a year after becoming Matt Lauer's co-host on NBC's "Today" show, Ann Curry may soon be losing that job. A source with knowledge of the show who spoke on condition of anonymity because the source was not authorized to speak on the matter said Wednesday that NBC is discussing a plan to ease Curry out of the co-hosting role. The New York Times first reported these discussions on Wednesday. Savannah Guthrie, who co-hosts the show's third hour, is at the top of the list of Curry's possible replacements. NBC News executives did not immediately return requests for comment. Today" lost in the ratings this spring for the first time since 1995 after a string of 852 consecutive weeks. Since then, "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning America" have been trading wins

CLEVELAND -- It's been one year since Channel 3 News and Sports Anchor Jim Donovan underwent a life changing operation. Today, on the one-year anniversary, he is sharing his story as a way of giving thanks to his medical team at UH and all the listeners and viewers who supported him during his journey. In June 2011, Jim had a bone marrow transplant to knock out leukemia. Unknown to most viewers and even colleagues, he had quietly battled the disease for nearly a decade. When Jim announced his leave of absence to WKYC viewers, he promised he would be back better than ever after beating his cancer. True to his word, just months after the procedure Jim returned to the radio broadcast booth for the Cleveland Browns games and returned to WKYC shortly thereafter. In this 3-part series for Channel 3 News at 6, 7 and 11 p.m., Jim takes us back to University Hospitals to thank the doctor, nurses and administrators who helped him through the bone marrow transplant and the most diffic...

NBC is rolling out its fall season lineup with the help of the Olympics rings. NBC announced Thursday that sneak peeks of its new prime-time schedule will piggyback on network coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The unveiling will begin with commercial-free previews of NBC's new comedies "Go On" on August 8, after the evening's Olympics coverage, and of "Animal Practice" on August 12, following the Olympics' Closing Ceremonies. "Go On" and another comedy, "The New Normal," premiere in their regular time slots on Sept. 11, with a sneak peek of the comedy "Guys With Kids" airing Sept. 12. The drama "Revolution" premieres on Sept. 17 and "Chicago Fire" debuts on Oct. 10. September 5: NFL Kickoff Special 2012 (regular season) at 730 pm; Sunday Night Football (regular season) at 830 pm September 9: Football Night in America (regular day/time) at 7 pm; Sunday Night Football (regular day/time)...

On Tuesday, June 13th, we further expanded our evil Macek Media Empire by launching the "Director's Cut 2" blog. This new blog will feature stories about other local and national television, cable, satellite and digital technology from our WKYC partnerships with The Associated Press, NBC, and Gannett Broadcasting and Community Publishing. Many of the articles will come from our partners, but we'll continue to write local stories when necessary. Our research has found there is a wider audience available for other types of television content which we hope to provide on DC 2. Of course, the original Director's Cut Blog will continue as usual focusing on events and happenings at WKYC, Channel 3. And Macek Media Watch on Facebook will focus more on local broadcasting including radio, television and print. Here are the links for our blogs and platforms: Director's Cut Blog Director's Cut 2 Blog Macek Media World

It's been one year since our Jim Donovan underwent a successful bone marrow transplant. We are so thankful and blessed to be able to share his story with you. Come along tomorrow night at 7pm as he visits the doctors and nurses who helped save his life and see the special message he has for you. Here's a preview of the story coming up Thursday Night:

ConnecTV today announces the largest-ever rollout of a social media platform for television with backing by the leading U.S. broadcast companies. The platform synchronizes social engagement, complementary content and program promotions with television programming from any source, in any market across national cable networks, regional sports networks and local stations affiliated with ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW and MyNetworkTV. The coast-to-coast rollout establishes ConnecTV as the most dynamic and engaging social network for television viewers in the U.S. How ConnecTV works:  ConnecTV is the only social network that works across all channels and all shows for both real-time and time-shifted television viewing. ConnecTV delivers a rich content experience that syncs instantly with the show you’re watching and delivers complementary play‐by‐play stats, news, information and quotes that can be shared with friends and followers—all with a single touch. Viewers can also invite speci...

Special to the Director's Cut Blog By Gary Levin, USA TODAY The increasing usage of digital video recorders, which easily allow viewers to postpone viewing of their favorite shows, has vastly complicated the math of TV ratings, new Nielsen data shows. And it explains how ABC's Modern Family ultimately eclipsed Fox's American Idol among key young-adult audiences. In final season rankings out Monday (Nielsen's time-shifted rankings are delayed by about two weeks), Family, already one of TV's top shows, added an average of nearly 5 million viewers in the seven days after new Wednesday episodes aired against Idol. That's the biggest gain for any series, for a total of 16.7 million viewers. Among viewers ages 18 to 49, the comedy jumped 48% when factoring in delayed viewing, while Idol's performance show gained just 17%. But viewers rarely delay reality shows, news, awards telecasts and sports programming by more than a day. Sitcoms and dramas are most pr...

With just 49 days to go the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, Channel 3 has launched a new Olympic Zone website that will keep you connected to our local athletes who are competing in this year's events. We've got photogalleries, news and blogs, tv listings, exclusive video, polls and so much more. It's your one stop for everything Olympics 2012. Don't forget, Channel 3, is your official Olympics station, and will sending WKYC's Chris Tye, Amanda Barren and Jennifer Lindgren to London for first hand reports, interviews and other interesting stories during the games. Also, we'll broadcast a nightly preview show, called "Olympic Zone" that will get you ready for coverage of the Olympics in prime time, with WKYC's Jim Donovan and Dave Chudowsky, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Check out our new website right now at http://www.nbcolympics.com/WKYC The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games start on Friday, July 27th, with the Opening Ceremonies and run...

Our new on-air talent may be from out of town, but they bring you a fresh new, perspective to the Cleveland area which is on the rebound. Russ Mithcell, Kris Pickel - weeknights at 6 & 11 PM. Channel 3 News Today gets you up and moving each and every morning:

The 2012 NATAS Lower Great Lakes Chapter Emmy Awards were announced Saturday Night in Indianapolis, with WKYC and SportsTime Ohio earning a total of 7 Emmy Awards for 2011. The following entries won for WKYC: General Assignment Report - No Time Limit, "Head Start Misspending" Tom Meyer, Reporter Sarah Bachmann, Editor Jessie Eck, Graphics Continuing Coverage - "Hidden Hazards" Tom Meyer, Reporter Sarah Bachmann, Editor Jessie Eck, Graphic Production Artist Investigative Report - Series, "MetroHealth Abuse" Tom Meyer, Reporter Sarah Bachmann, Editor Politics/Government - "Senator Smith Home" Tom Meyer, Reporter The following entries won for SportsTime Ohio: Promotion - Program Image, "STO Remembers"  Michael Roche, VP Marketing/New Media Ty Towriss, Producer Pat Kenny, Editor Tim Earl, Associate Producer Mitch Greenberg, Associate Producer Keith Feicks, ...

May sweeps are over and Channel 3 News at 11 pm with Kris Pickel, Russ Mitchell and Betsy Kling was Cleveland's #1 newscast in the all important money demo, adults 25-54, Monday through Sunday, despite a lackluster NBC Prime time lineup. The weeknight 11 pm is directed by your blogger Frank Macek and produced by Amanda Subler and Caitlin Kollar. The same was true for Channel 3 News Today beginning at 4:30 a.m. weekdays with Chris Tye, Erin Kennedy and Hollie Strano. Thanks to all our viewers in Northeast Ohio for making Channel 3 News their first choice for news when it comes to starting and ending their day. Click on our latest promo below to watch:

NBC's popular reality series "The Biggest Loser" is launching a 13-city cross-country search to find new contestants for the next edition of the hit show. Individuals who have at least 85 lbs. to lose are encouraged to apply for the new season, which will air in January 2013. Here's when and where you can audition for the show when their casting crew comes to Northeast Ohio: SATURDAY, JULY 21 CLEVELAND 10 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Crowne Plaza Cleveland South 5300 Rockside Road Independence, OH 44131 Casting producers are looking for charismatic individuals who have the desire to change their lives forever and vie for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lose weight and compete for a grand prize of $250,000. Candidates must be at least 18 years of age and legal residents of the United States. For those who are unable to attend a casting call, information on how to apply to the show and submit a videotape is available on www.nbc.com/casting and http://www.thebigg...